Flight Safety Information
June 24, 2013 - No. 126
In This Issue
US aviation regulator to audit flight ops in India
MiG-29 fighter aircraft crashes; pilot safe (India)
Govt initiates audit of PIA pilots (Pakistan)
Philippine air force plane crashes, two pilots missing
Wing walker, airshow pilot killed during Ohio performance
Another United Airlines Boeing 787 flight diverted due to a mechanical problem
FAA Says It Will Be Months Before In-Flight Electronics Ban Is Lifted
Annual SMS Audit Results Released
Cessna Launches Longitude Jet...Longitude
Airline satisfaction: below post office, above subscription TV
US aviation regulator to audit flight ops in India
Concerned about air safety regulation in India, the US aviation safety regulator wants to conduct an
independent audit of flight operations in India this August. Last week, the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) told its Indian counterpart to prepare for the audit.
According to sources in the civil aviation ministry, the FAA's concern stems from the United Nation's aviation
watchdog's recent report on air safety regulations in India.
Civil aviation minister Ajit Singh confirmed the forthcoming FAA audit. "We have received a letter about it, but
I do not have the details," he said.
In March, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) had named India among 13 countries with the
most dismal air safety monitoring records.
According to the report, the DGCA's safety monitoring standards have been below the global average across
all parameters such as legislation, licensing, organisations, etc.
Air safety experts said that this audit was important because the FAA could downgrade India if its officials
were not satisfied with the safety standards. "It could mean that the US government could introduce
restrictions on Indian airlines operating in the US," said an air safety expert.
This is the second time that India is facing fears of being downgraded. In 2009, the FAA had threatened to
revise India's position to category II, citing massive staff shortage in the DGCA.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Mumbai/US-aviation--regulator-to-audit-flight-ops-in-
India/Article1-1080507.aspx
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MiG-29 fighter aircraft crashes; pilot safe (India)
JAMNAGAR: A MiG-29 fighter aircraft on a routine sortie today crashed near Lalparda village in Gujarat's
Jamnagar district, with the pilot ejecting safely.
"A MiG-29 fighter jet today crashed at 13.30 hours near Lalparda village south of Khambhalia town," IAF
officials said.
The aircraft was on on a routine sortie, they said. "The pilot got out safely when the plane crashed," they
added.
IAF has ordered a court of inquiry in the matter, officials said, adding that their team is reaching the spot
where the crash took place.
In August 2012, nine Air Force personnel, including five officers, on board two MI-17 helicopters were killed
when two choppers of the Jamangar air base had collided mid-air shortly after take off.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/MiG-29-fighter-aircraft-crashes-pilot-safe/articleshow/20741915.cms
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Govt initiates audit of PIA pilots (Pakistan)
KARACHI: The government has initiated the audit of pilots of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and asked
for complete records for the year 2011, official sources said.
The commercial audit department of the government has sent an order on June 12 to the director flight
operations and DGM Finance, PIA, to provide with complete record of perks and other information related to
pilots for 2011.Not only that an audit has been initiated, an additional tax of up to 50 percent has been levied
in the budget on pilots' flying allowance, against the global practice, the officials said.
Such moves were designed to keep pilots at bay and away from forming any alliance against the possible
privatisation, they said.The audit department has asked for complete copy of Pakistan Airline Pilots'
Association (Palpa) agreement; copy of services regulation and terms and conditions of pilots / cockpit crew;
complete list of pilots / cockpit crew detained by the PIA for flight operation, aircraft-wise showing their ages,
flight period completed and their valid licence numbers issued by the Civil Aviation Authority.
Also, detailed list of flight delayed / due to unavailability of crew, transport and late arrivals of pilots / cockpit
crew at airports; monthly, quarterly, and annual reports of flight operation department for the year 2011;
details of theft / fraud and embezzlement reported; and details of disciplinary cases, were also demanded,
the officials said.
Regarding financial matters, the audit department asked for copy of budget of flight operation (017 location)
for the year 2011; budget control summary / register and D-15 vouchers; budget versus actual; summary of
overflying (en route) charges, slip allowance, crew hotel accommodation charges, flying allowances and
delayed flying allowances; simulator training (fee, accommodation, hotel, and interlink transportation).
The list of contractual employees and daily wagers in flight operation department; details of commercial pilots
of aircraft-wise along with their licence numbers and the date of validity for particular aircraft and list of in-
service, retired, contractual and services hired; payroll of the pilots / cockpit crew; and details of other
charges of the pilots / cockpit crew paid under the Palpa agreement.
Moreover, the department also require details of payments / expenditure made on accounts of simulator
training charges domestic and international for the year 2011; details of navigational charges paid on
different CAA and other international airports at network; copy of flight plans route / sector-wise the United
States, Europe, Gulf and the UAE, showing total landings and takeoffs, the officials said.
Detailed list of aircraft incidents occurred in different countries / airports during 2011-13, showing reasons,
penalties imposed and damage values; detailed list of cockpits cabin crew involved in smuggling and aircraft
due to which held at different international airports; and detailed list of aircraft overrun during landing and
takeoff at domestic and international airports causing damage, withheld, and penalties paid, have also been
demanded.
A captain said that since pilots were at the forefront in thwarting the campaign of a former managing director
to sell the routes of national airline to Turkish Airline, the new government also had feelings that the pilots
could go against their move to privatise PIA.
"Therefore, the government has decided to checkmate any possible advance from the pilots by engaging
them in the audit. This way other unions or CBA of the airline would not get to join pilots against the
intentions of the government to privatise the airline," the officials said.
Furthermore, the tax levy would discourage many pilots to plan future at PIA and would resort to look for jobs
in the Middle East airlines, which very happily on almost double the salary picks the PIA talent, which was
groomed for over 25-30 years.
The way audit is being conducted, pilots say, it is quite clear that the government expects fierce backlash
from the employees over PIA privatisation. -Javed Mirza
http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-3-185327-Govt-initiates-audit-of-PIA-pilots
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Philippine air force plane crashes, two pilots missing
Manila: The Philippine Air Force said that two pilots were missing after their twin-engine propellor plane went
down at sea during a night flying mission.
The OV-10 Bronco, used largely as a maritime patrol support aircraft, failed to return to an air strip on the
western island of Palawan last night, air force spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Miguel Okol told AFP.
"Combined elements of the coastguard and the navy have found parts of the debris and it appears to be the
rear cargo compartment of the vessel," Okol said.
"We are still holding out hope that the two pilots were able to eject... We are searching for them."
Okol said the pilots had radioed the control tower that they were five nautical miles off the airfield and
preparing to land before they crashed.
"At this point, we could not yet speculate as to what exactly happened," he said, adding the weather was
clear.
The crash is the latest in a string of deadly accidents involving surplus and often old foreign aircraft acquired
by the Philippine military.
The air force's fleet of 30 Broncos were acquired from the United States in 1991 and Thailand in 2004.
Developed in the 1960s as a counter-insurgency aircraft by the US Air Force, the Broncos can carry heavy
ammunition for a few hours in the air.
They are used primarily for close air support missions against Muslim and communist insurgents, mainly on
the southern island of Mindanao, Okol said.
However, they are also used to monitor the archipelago's extensive coastal areas, as well as for search and
rescue missions in the disaster-prone Philippines, he added.
Okol would not say exactly how old the crashed plane was, but insisted that all of the Broncos were in good
condition.
"They have received a good number of upgrades, and we maintain them very well," he said.
The Philippine military is among the most poorly equipped in the region, and past modernisation efforts have
consisted mostly of surplus hardware acquired from its traditional ally, the United States.
In May, two pilots were killed when an air force trainer plane crashed north of Manila
In 2010, eight air force personnel and a civilian were killed when a light cargo airplane crashed in the
southern city of Cotabato.
AFP
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Wing walker, airshow pilot killed during Ohio performance
Wing walker Jane Wicker and airshow pilot Charlie Schwenker were killed June 22 during their performance at
the Vectren Dayton Airshow near Dayton, Ohio. According to media reports, the airshow was canceled for the
remainder of the day.
Shortly after the accident, Jane Wicker Airshows updated its Facebook page with the news, adding, "We ask
for your prayers for the families and privacy of all involved and allow them time to grieve and work through
these events."
A better Headset... More Comfort.
Wicker, also a pilot, began wing walking in 1990 for the Flying Circus in Virginia but temporarily stopped wing
walking after 2002. She re-entered the airshow circuit in 2010. Wicker's love of aviation and wing walking
was captured in the November 2011 AOPA Pilot feature, "Walking back on."
According to the Flying Circus Airshow website, Schwenker started flying gliders in the mid-1970s and began
competing in aerobatics in 1990. He performed aerobatics in the Pitts S-1T and Extra 300, according to the
website.
http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video/All-News/2013/June/22/wing-walker-airshow-pilot-killed-during-ohio-
performance.aspx
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Another United Airlines Boeing 787 flight diverted due to a mechanical problem
DENVER - Another Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight was diverted because of a mechanical problem Sunday, ABC
News reports. This is the third such diversion within the past week.
The United Airlines flight, number 94, was coming to Denver from Houston and was supposed to fly to Tokyo
next.
Pilots received a light indicating a break problem and emergency landing procedures were taken.
The previous Dreamliner diversions involved a flight from Denver to Tokyo that was forced to land in Seattle
and a London to Houston flight that was diverted to Newark.
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/another-united-airlines-boeing-787-flight-diverted-due-
to-a-mechanical-problem
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FAA Says It Will Be Months Before In-Flight Electronics Ban Is Lifted
Just two days ago, it seemed that the Federal Aviation Administration was finally going to relax the rules that
require passengers to stow away electronic devices during take-off and landing. Now it appears, however,
that travelers will have to wait months before the new regulations go into effect.
Even though the FAA has prepared a draft report that says that nixing the ban on electronics usage under
10,000 feet is long overdue, it also cautions that there were will be months of testing to determine which
aircraft models are most vulnerable to potential electromagnetic interference from electronic devices used by
passengers.
The FAA doesn't have a specific timeline for lifting the regulations, a potentially lengthy process that will
include safety assessments, crew training, PR campaigns and coordination with foreign regulators.
Futhermore, the WSJ says that the report's conclusions could be changed before it is due in September, which
means that the passengers may have to wait even longer.
Despite the periodic promises from the FAA that it will eventually get rid of the ban on electronic devices
during take-off and landing, plenty of passengers are already taking matters into their own hands. A study
cited by the agency shows that less than 60% of passengers say they always turn their devices off completely
when asked to do so by flight staff. In fact, many don't even know that it's unacceptable to use their
smartphones, tablets and e-readers below 10,000 feet.
Adding to the confusion is that tablets and other electronic devices are used increasingly by pilots and flight
attendants during takeoff, which the FAA's report admits sends mixed messages to passengers.
Though changes to the current rules might take a while longer, the air travel industry has made dramatic
strides in how it views passengers' electronic devices. Just two years ago, the International Air Transport
Association (IATA), a trade group that represents over 240 airlines, said that gadgets posed an even greater
risk than originally thought, with the two most dangerous devices being the iPad and iPhone.
Though it will be a while before passengers enjoy the benefits of the FAA's change of heart, it still represents
a dramatic shift in how a very cautious industry views personal electronics.
http://techcrunch.com/2013/06/23/faa-says-it-will-be-months-before-in-flight-electronics-ban-is-lifted/
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Cessna Launches Longitude Jet
Longitude
Cessna introduced the Citation Longitude at EBACE 2012.
Six months after launching its midsize Citation Latitude, Cessna Aircraft (Stand 7081) announced at EBACE
this morning that it will offer a $25.9 million (2012) stretched version, the "Longitude," that can fly 4,000 nm
at Mach 0.82. First flight is scheduled for 2016.
"The aircraft is long on range, high on value and low on price," Cessna president and CEO Scott Ernest said at
the model's unveiling on the EBACE show floor. "It is more than $5 million less than competing aircraft."
Asked why the new model was launched at EBACE and just six months after the Latitude was announced,
Ernest told AIN, "The business aviation market is in a rebirth. Cessna has to continue to innovate-that's how
we intend to stay at the top of the market." He added that the company solicited "extensive customer
feedback" to come up with the specifications of the Longitude. "I visited 500 customers in the past six months
to get their feedback about what kind of airplane they wanted."
The Longitude/Model 800 will be the largest Citation attempted since the Columbus/Model 850 development
program was terminated in 2009. Scheduled to enter service in 2017, the super-midsize Longitude uses the
same fuselage cross-section, windows, passenger seats and aluminum construction as the smaller Latitude,
but will be nine feet longer. The 31-foot flat-floor cabin will have passenger seating for eight, and the aircraft
will have a full-fuel payload of 1,950 pounds and an MTOW of approximately 55,000 pounds. MTOW takeoff
distance is an estimated 5,400 feet. Required runway distance drops to 4,000 feet on missions of 2,000nm or
less with lighter loads. High-speed cruise is Mach 0.84 and maximum operating Mach number is 0.86.
The Longitude will be powered by a pair of Fadec [Full Authority Digital Engine Control]-controlled, 11,000-
pound thrust Snecma Silvercrest engines, with autothrottles. They are expected to power the aircraft to
43,000 feet in 23 minutes on the way to a ceiling of 45,000 feet. The engine hot sections and the times
between overhauls (TBOs) will be "on condition," much like airliner engines are.
Mike Pierce, Cessna director of product marketing, said that he expected this practice to increase actual TBOs
from between 20 to 30 percent beyond the highest time engine TBO in the current Citation fleet. That
distinction falls to the Rolls-Royce AE3007C engines on the current Citation X, with a 6,000-hour TBO.
The selection of Snecma, a subsidiary of France's Safran Group, is the most dramatic imprimatur placed on
Cessna to date by Ernest, who joined the company last year after 29 years in senior management at GE
Aircraft engines. Cessna has traditionally used engines from Pratt & Whitney Canada, and to a lesser extent
Rolls-Royce and Williams to power its Citations. Snecma and GE formed CFM International in the mid-1970s
to develop a new generation of high-ratio bypass CFM56 engines that now power most of the world's fleet of
Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 commercial aircraft.
Announced in 2006, the Silvercrest engine has been the long-rumored choice for Dassault's under-
development SMS/5X twinjet but, until Longitude, it had not found an official home. Snecma claims the
Silvercrest will be quieter, cleaner and more efficient than current engines in class. The company claims a
noise reduction of up to 20 EPNdB versus Stage 4 requirements; a 50 percent NOx margin versus the ICAO
CAEP 6 emissions standard, and 15 percent lower specific fuel consumption compared to current engines. The
engine is also designed to be lighter and have fewer parts than its contemporaries. It features a wide-chord
swept fan followed by a four axial stage, and one centrifugal stage, high-pressure compressor driven by a
single-stage turbine. Initially the engine will be supported by parts-depots in Dallas, Paris and Asia as well as
the Cessna product-support network. The engines will have live health and usage monitoring (HUMS)
capabilities.
In another departure for Cessna, the Longitude will have limited fly-by-wire (FBW) capabilities for controlling
the rudder, spoilers and brakes ("brake-by-wire"). Pierce said the decision to go with a limited FBW was a
function of potential weight savings versus increased cost and certification complexity. "Hosting a FBW
solution on the airplane is a very integrated solution with your avionics package. We settled on the roll spoiler
and rudder systems as the places where we can [extract] the most advantage in terms of weight [reduction]
and cost [savings]," he added.
Not all of the Longitude's details are fixed. The aircraft is projected to have a length of 87 feet and a
wingspan of 84 to 86 feet. The 30-degree swept wing will incorporate leading-edge slats, winglets, centrifugal
ailerons and five speed-brake/spoiler panels per side. Roll control will be augmented by the outboard spoilers
and there will be three flap panels per side. The slats will be controlled hydraulically, and the flaps electrically.
Ailerons and the elevator will have mechanical back-ups. The T-tail will measure 25 to 26 feet tall, have a
sweep greater than 30 degrees and feature a fully-trimable horizontal stabilizer.
The electrical system builds on the essential bus system Cessna developed for the CJ4, Citation Ten and
Latitude: Primary power comes from the left and right engine generators with backup power from the
alternators and a dual battery system. The dual hydraulic system uses a mineral-based fluid and, in addition
to controlling the slats, controls nosewheel steering, thrust reversers and landing gear. The main gear is dual-
tire trailing link, the nose gear is dual tire and features a limited amount of rudder steer and a wheel tiller.
Cabin pressure allows for a 6,000-foot cabin altitude at FL450. The pressurization system uses an air cycle
machine as its primary source with bleed-air back-up through heat exchangers. The back-up system is
adequate to provide constant temperature in the dual-zone controlled cabin.
The cabin itself features a large forward galley and aft lavatory with vacuum-flushing toilet. The forward cabin
may include a crew lavatory as well as a third crew/flight attendant seat. Like the Latitude, the Longitude's
interior cross-section is 72 inches tall and 77 inches wide. The forward club-4 configuration is 200 inches long
and the single executive seats are full-berthing. There is room for another club-4 in the aft cabin or a three-
place divan, certified for takeoff and landing, opposite an entertainment center with large flat-screen monitor.
A four-foot deep pressurized baggage hold can be accessed through the back of the lavatory to facilitate
changing of clothes or luggage retrieval. Aft of that, the aircraft also has a larger externally-accessed baggage
hold.
Pierce said Cessna has selected the Garmin G5000 for the Longitude, using the same three-screen "touch
control" avionics architecture that the company is using on both the Latitude and Citation Ten. He added that
the cabin management system (CMS) will build on the new wireless "Clairity" system that Cessna is
developing for the Latitude, Ten and M2. The Clairity system can host global airborne Internet and voice
communications.
Initially, Cessna plans to build the Longitude in Wichita and the company is not currently enlisting any risk-
sharing partners on the airframe. Notably, "This is not the large-cabin jet that we've talked about building in
China with our partner AVIC," Ernest told AIN. "That aircraft will be something different," though he would not
elaborate further.
http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/ebace-convention-news/2012-05-14/cessna-launches-longitude-jet
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Airline satisfaction: below post office, above subscription TV
But customer service survey finds that fliers are a bit happier than they were last year.
Fliers are slightly more satisfied with the service offered by U.S. airlines than they were last year.
But with the airline industry ranked below the U.S. Postal Service for customer satisfaction, it still has a way
to go.
The findings come from an annual survey of about 70,000 Americans and show that the airline industry ranks
higher than only subscription TV and Internet service companies.
The American Customer Satisfaction Index, an independent benchmarking business developed at the
University of Michigan, concluded that the industry improved 3% in 2013 to a rating of 69 on a 100-point
scale. Not surprisingly, airline travelers are most turned off by crowded seating, extra fees and poor customer
service, according to the report.
Low-cost carriers JetBlue Airways and Southwest Airlines led the industry with scores of 83 and 81,
respectively; network airlines Delta, United, American and US Airways rated no better than 68, the survey
found.
Industry officials defended the nation's carriers, saying airfares have increased at only half the rate of
inflation since 2000, even when accounting for those extra fees.
Airlines also compare favorably with other modes of transportation such as taxis, said Jean Medina,
spokeswoman for Airlines for America, the trade group for the nation's airlines.
For example, she said, the U.S. Department of Transportation received 1.18 complaints against airlines for
every 100,000 passengers that flew in 2011. By comparison, New York city taxicabs got 3,125 complaints for
every 100,000 passengers in that same year, she said.
"We have great numbers compared to other modes of transportation," Medina said.
Two airlines raise bar for elite status
If you fly United or Delta airlines, it will cost you more next year to join one of the elite status groups on their
loyalty reward programs.
Both airlines announced recently that it's not enough to rack up miles to qualify for the top tier of the loyalty
programs - passengers must also spend cash.
Delta became the first of the major airlines to add the requirement a few months ago, with United announcing
the same requirement last week. The new requirements for both airlines take effect in 2014.
To reach the Silver status on United's MileagePlus program, fliers must spend $2,500 directly on United,
United Express or Copa airlines flights, plus have accumulated 25,000 miles or 30 flight segments on United
or partner airlines. Elite loyalty status means fliers can upgrade to roomier seats, board early and avoid some
fees that other passengers must pay.
Most MileagePlus members already meet the payment minimum, United spokesman Rahsaan Johnson said.
The spending requirement can be waived for U.S. members who spend at least $25,000 on their MileagePlus
credit cards.
The amount that fliers must spend rises with each status level, such as Gold, Platinum and Diamond for Delta
fliers and 1K for United passengers.
"The revenue component ensures that our most valued customers get the best program benefits and a more
exclusive experience," Delta spokeswoman Chris Kelly Singley said.
What does that mean?
Brian Kelly, an expert on loyalty reward programs who founded the website the Points Guy, said Delta and
United may be trying to make the top tiers of their loyalty programs even more exclusive by pushing out the
so-called "mileage runners" who take cheap flights to collect loyalty points.
"They are looking to weed out the fliers that are not producing for their bottom line," he said.
European airline apologizes for no-cash policy
A European low-cost carrier apologized last week after imposing a no-cash policy for passengers wanting to
buy onboard extras on new routes to New York and Bangkok, Thailand.
Most airlines in the U.S. already accept only credit cards for payment of onboard purchases.
But the hard-line policy at Norwegian Air Shuttle meant that a 16-year-old passenger who had no credit card
and was flying from Oslo to New York could not pay for a blanket for the long flight. A woman flying from
Thailand to Norway was reportedly refused food and water on the 12-hour flight because she also had only
cash.
The airline apologized, saying it has changed its policy and will now accept cash on long-haul flights from
those few passengers who don't have a credit card.
"It's crucial for Norwegian that our passengers enjoy their journey with us," said Lasse Sandaker-Nielsen, a
spokeswoman for the airline.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-travel-briefcase-20130624,0,393261.story
Curt Lewis